Mama said there'd be days like this (Read 301 times)

Had an 18 on the calendar yesterday as I'm roughly 7 weeks out from an early October marathon (my 6th) and I struggled mightily to get 16 in. Frustrating after doing 17 the week prior at my target pace and feeling pretty good.

A few variables changed from last week to this: last was quite a bit cooler temp and I ran with someone last week and alone this time.

Im feeling like I should get out today to shake off yesterday's frustration but think it's be wiser to just chill and regroup to get out tomorrow.

Maybe you're not well recovered from last week's effort? I think when I was training for longer races that I started spacing those 16+ mile runs to every 10-14 days. 7 was never long enough to not feel like I was dragging myself around for hours.

'17 Goals:

• Chemo

• Chemo-Radiation

• Surgery

• Return to kicking my own ass by 2018

She was not strong. She was valiant. Radiant. Brave and broken. The beauty she discovered in the aftermath was unparalleled to anything she had known before, because it had come at such a cost.

get back out there the next day & the next & the next. you get the point.

Yup. I don't know how long you've been running, but I've been running for so long now that a really bad day doesn't bother me. I know from experience that one bad run doesn't mean crap in the grand scheme of things...so forget about it, and on to the next one.

If I wasn't training for anything in particular, I might take an off day to regroup. But, if I was training, I would probably do the workout I had scheduled for the next day and hope for a better day. I guess it's a matter of whether I felt like I was really run down and need an off day, or if it was the heat/humidity that did me in. I've had two utterly demoralizing runs this training cycle due to the heat/humidity. Both reduced me to walking. WALKING! I kept running after both bad runs but it probably took another 2 or 3 days until I felt recovered.

“What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the fight in the dog. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Had an 18 on the calendar yesterday as I'm roughly 7 weeks out from an early October marathon (my 6th) and I struggled mightily to get 16 in. Frustrating after doing 17 the week prior at my target pace and feeling pretty good.

A few variables changed from last week to this: last was quite a bit cooler temp and I ran with someone last week and alone this time.

Im feeling like I should get out today to shake off yesterday's frustration but think it's be wiser to just chill and regroup to get out tomorrow.

how do y'all bounce back after a particularly disappointing run?

#1, for all but the best trained, if you really did 17 miles at target MP....and your target was challenging....you basically just ran your race. I'm guessing you didn't taper for that run, so the real effort was about what you'd get from a marathon after tapering for it.

Given that, you are basically in big need of recovery and you just tried to push yourself again. Do yourself a couple favors. 1) back off for a couple weeks and recover. 2), Never do that for a workout again. It does nothing positive for you.

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

I bet (hope!) he didn't mean he ran 17 at his goal marathon pace but probably 17 at his target pace for that particular run .... if so, I would just continue with regularly scheduled training. Not every run in training will be a 'good' one so don't worry too much about one bad run, just keep pluggin. If you really did run 17 at your gmp then you might want to take spaniel's advice and recover.

runlikeagirI

posted: 8/19/2013 at 10:21 AM

I know how bad those runs felt, but I have to say this offers some reassurance regarding my BQ attempt which is now less than 3 weeks away. I have had the exact.same.experience this training cycle.

If I wasn't training for anything in particular, I might take an off day to regroup. But, if I was training, I would probably do the workout I had scheduled for the next day and hope for a better day. I guess it's a matter of whether I felt like I was really run down and need an off day, or if it was the heat/humidity that did me in. I've had two utterly demoralizing runs this training cycle due to the heat/humidity. Both reduced me to walking. WALKING! I kept running after both bad runs but it probably took another 2 or 3 days until I felt recovered.

I bet (hope!) he didn't mean he ran 17 at his goal marathon pace but probably 17 at his target pace for that particular run .... if so, I would just continue with regularly scheduled training. Not every run in training will be a 'good' one so don't worry too much about one bad run, just keep pluggin. If you really did run 17 at your gmp then you might want to take spaniel's advice and recover.

Thanks for the feedback all. Yes, it was run at my target pace for the run, not marathon target.

I took yesterday off and will pop out today for an easy 4 or 5 just to stretch the legs. My plan pulls back to 13 this weekend to 13 and I think I'll benefit from that bit of a break before doing 20 the following weekend.

Thanks for the feedback all. Yes, it was run at my target pace for the run, not marathon target.

I took yesterday off and will pop out today for an easy 4 or 5 just to stretch the legs. My plan pulls back to 13 this weekend to 13 and I think I'll benefit from that bit of a break before doing 20 the following weekend.

How are you determining your target pace (or heart rate) for long runs?

Glad to know my misery is comforting to someone. . Those runs beat you up mentally more than physically, I think. They can really shake your confidence. I'm not a fan of summer marathon training. I'm hoping to do it one more time so I can run MCM but then that's it. (Lies marathoners tell themselves).

It happens. Last year in early September I went out for a mid week long run and it was brutal, just brutal. I think I stopped and walked a total of five times because I just couldn't run anymore. it was a hot and humid day, I ate like crap that day and my legs felt like lead... It is the most memorably bad training run in my log. The next day I did a nine miler at marathon goal pace plus about 20 seconds and I felt fantastic. The notes for that run are perhaps the most exultant for any run in my log. i had no expectations prior to that second run, it just happened that way. So just go out and run. Some days are great and some days really suck and do your best to make things work out favorably by eating well and make sure your legs are somewhat fresh before an important work out.